Sorry, You’re Stuck

On January 8th a notice was sent out from the PTSA of GHS regarding the counselors and selecting classes for next semester.
“The Counseling Office is NOT accepting change requests for 2nd semester,” the first line of the notice reads.
The notice goes on to explain that students get to choose their classes in the spring of the year before and that at that time they are picking classes for both first and second semester.

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It’s all rumors. There’s been no staff meeting annoncement or mass email.”

“The master schedule is developed based on the course requests they receive in the Spring of the previous year,” reads the notice.
This raises many questions. What if a student wants to switch out of a class that is too challenging for them? What if a student needs to switch into another class for a graduation requirement and needs a specific credit?
“It makes sense to switch kids around at the semester based on how well they’re doing in the class,” said Ian Sample, a math teacher at Garfield. “If they’re in an honors class and not doing well, it doesn’t make sense to keep them in that class.”
There has also been very little communication to anybody this issue affects, and no one knows for sure how strict this rule will be.
“It’s all rumors,” Sample said. “There’s been no staff meeting announcement or mass email.”
There could be many consequences if this policy is held up. Students might not be able to switch out of classes that aren’t a good fit for them, or they might not be able to switch into classes that could benefit their education and be a better fit for them. If worst comes to worst, some students might not be able to complete all their graduation requirements.
With teachers being kept in the dark, it’s uncertain if they’ll stick to this uncompromising protocol. But one thing’s for sure, this is a considerable change to Garfield administration.